Joan
Rivers' daughter has asked friends to 'please pray' for her mother after
she was rushed to hospital when she stopped breathing during a surgical
procedure.

The
81-year-old was having surgery on her vocal chords at a clinic in
Manhattan when she suddenly stopped breathing during the procedure.

She
was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition but has now
been upgraded to stable after doctors fought to save her life. Her
daughter, Melissa, 46, and grandson Cooper, 13, were pictured at Los
Angeles airport as they traveled to be by the star's side.

Scroll down for video

+11

Health drama: Joan Rivers, pictured in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, has been rushed to hospital

+11

+11

Melissa Rivers is pictured arriving at Los
Angeles airport Thursday to fly to New York after hearing her mother had
been rushed to hospital

+11

Family: Melissa, 46, and her son Cooper, 13, rushed to be with the star who is now in stable condition

'This
morning, Joan Rivers was taken to The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York,
where she is being attended to,' Sid Dinsay, a spokesman for the
hospital, said in a statement this afternoon.

'Her family wants to thank everybody for their outpouring of love and support.'

He said the hospital would provide an update on Rivers' condition as it becomes available.

A source told E! News earlier: 'They were putting a scope down her throat to check her vocal cords. She stopped breathing.'

The
source added that the operation was not a major one though Rivers was
sedated throughout. It's unclear what medication was used.

TV
host Billy Bush said on Facebook that he had exchanged texts with
Joan's daughter Melissa who asked him to 'please pray'. Melissa and her
son Cooper rushed to be by the star's side.

Hospital: NYPD officers wait outside of the main entrance to Mount Sinai hospital on Thursday

+11

Media: TV station vans are seen outside the hospital in Manhattan where Joan Rivers is now in stable condition

TV host Billy Bush posted about the beloved star on Facebook

+11

Mercy dash: The 81-year-old's daughter Melissa, seen here last year, is reportedly on her way to New York

He wrote: 'Praying for Joan Rivers
who is in critical condition at Mt Sinai hospital in NY. Texted with
Melissa Rivers who said 'please pray.' Already doing that. Joan is
beloved around here. A regular guest on Access Hollywood Live she never
fails to deliver.

'She
taped her post Emmy special Tuesday in LA and was strong. This is out
of nowhere. Come on Joan you have to make it. Just think of all the
material. Sending love and prayers.'

He later tweeted: 'Per Melissa, The mighty @joan_rivers Is in stable condition. That Means her first joke is coming... :)'

According to the New York Daily News, Rivers' assistant, Graham Reed, was overheard saying 'She's not conscious, but she's stable,' obviously distraught.

E!'s Ken Baker also said that Rivers was now stable after the emergency.

TMZ reported that an emergency call was placed to 911 at 9:39 a.m. New York time.

The caller told emergency services: 'We have somebody in either cardiac or respiratory arrest.'

The drama unfolded at Yorkville Endoscopy on East 93rd street near Third Avenue, police confirmed.

A
woman who answered the phone at the clinic this afternoon told
MailOnline: 'I don't know what you're talking about, have a great day!'

According
to another E! source, Rivers 'had a lot of energy' and was 'cracking
jokes' at a Wednesday event in New York to promote her new book.

Similarly
on Tuesday, she gave no hint about needed surgery as she taped a
special 90 minute edition of her show Fashion Police which aired on E!
that same night.

Covering both the Emmy Awards and the
MTV VMA's the veteran comedienne's voice did sound raspy but she has
become known for her gravelly voice and biting tongue.

The star's no-holds-barred comedy has made her one of Hollywood's mainstays having a career spanning over 60 years.

The
often outspoken funny lady - born Joan Alexandra Molinsky - started her
career in her native New York performing in comedy clubs across the
city and even starred in a play as a lesbian woman with a crush Barbara
Streisand in the 1950s.

Joan
started to make a name for herself in the male-dominated comedy world
as a guest on The Tonight Show from 1965 and then also started landing
guest spots on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Taken under the wing of Tonight Show host Johnny Carson as a writer, Joan further developed her biting wit.

Going
on to host Saturday Night Live during the Eighties, the iconic star was
awarded her show by for The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers - it was
this show that led to a bitter fallout with her mentor Carson and he
never spoke to her again before his death.

Only this year was Joan's ban from ever appearing on the Tonight Show lifted by Jimmy Fallon.

The comedian would eventually be fired from her Fox show after she
challenged executives' decision to removed her husband Edgar Rosenberg
as a producer.

Edgar was
the star's second husband - her first marriage was annulled after just a
few months in 1955 - and he tragically committed suicide three months
later in May 1987, Joan blamed the 'humiliation' of Fox's treatment.

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot create polls in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum